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Meet the Dancers: From Ballet, Broadway, and Beyond
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About Meet The Dancers: From Ballet, Broadway, And Beyond
Product Description Lots of kids enjoy dancing, but what motivates them to push past the sore muscles, early-morning technique classes, and crazy schedule required to become a professional dancer? In this book, dancers from many backgrounds talk about their different paths to success in ballet, modern, jazz, Broadway, and hiphop. They also share advice and helpful tips, such as: • practice interpreting the music and the mood of a movement, even when you’re doing a standard warm-up exercise • try to be in the front row at auditions so you can see what’s going on and so the judges know you’re eager to be seen Review “A chatty and informative look at dance. The range of dance styles gives this a wide appeal, as does the pleasing diversity of the 16 men and women.” —Kirkus Reviews “Anyone, whether considering a career in dance or not, will be inspired and educated by these up-close-and-personal accounts.” —School Library Journal “A valuable book, and one that even dance hobbyists will find absorbing.” —Booklist About the Author AMY NATHAN is the award-winning author of several books for young people, including Meet the Musicians, The Young Musician’s Survival Guide, and Yankee Doodle Gals. She lives in upstate New York. Excerpt. © Reprinted by permission. All rights reserved. Meet the Dancers Dance On INTRODUCTION I'm always amazed at what kids can accomplish when they throw themselves into something, and there can be no better examples than the sixteen "kids" you'll meet in this book. They're all grown up now and have become successful professional dancers. Some perform in ballet or modern dance companies, while others are kicking up their heels in Broadway musicals or strutting their stuff in music videos. But it all started when they were dance-crazy youngsters, sweating their way through dance class, day in and day out, as they (and their aching muscles and oh-so-sore feet) did what had to be done in order to master the intricate technique, expressive beauty, and exhilarating joy of dance. In this book, these pros explain how they got hooked on dance. Many fell in love with it at a very young age, but others didn't discover dance until they were teenagers. You'll read about the ups and downsthey experienced along the way. For some, those challenges were especially hard to take, as they came to terms with the fact that their bodies didn't fit the stereotype of a classical dancer. A few even experienced burnout as kids, having started dancing very early and then finding that they needed to pull back and take a break. That happened to John Selya, seen having the chance of a lifetime in the photo on fig. 1. He was dancing with superstar Mikhail Baryshnikov in an American Ballet Theatre production of the classical ballet La Sylphide. Then John decided to quit! Feeling stressed out from too many classes, he did other things for a while. However, before long, he realized he couldn't live without dance and came back, full-steam ahead. SUGAR PLUM SIGHTINGS The ballet The Nutcracker--with its Mouse King, toy soldiers, Sugar Plum Fairy, and dancing candies--played a big part in the childhoods of the dancers you'll meet in this book. Most performed in this holiday classic as kids, but four didn't. Being turned down for a Nutcracker production actually helped one girl find her way in dance. As you read on, be on the lookout for who was or wasn't in this winter wonderland of a ballet. Like John, many dancers in this book had other interests as kids, enjoying such activities as swimming, riding horses, playing soccer, acting in plays, making music, competing in gymnastics, or curling up with a good book. These activities broadened their experiences and helped make them the exciting performers they are today. But for many of these pros, being involved in extra activities slowed down during their early teen years. By then they weretaking so many dance classes that there
